Baird's big sense of pride at Willo

By Wendy Gee -

EASTLEIGH boss Ian Baird will feel a huge sense of pride when Brett Williams returns to the Silverlake Stadium as a Reading player tomorrow.

Brett Williams is set to return to the Silverlake Stadium as a Reading player

The 23-year-old striker was sold to the Royals for £50,000 during the January transfer window and is ready to stake his claim for a Championship place after recovering from a minor knee operation.

This time last year Baird predicted that Williams, a former part-time taxi driver, would either make a big success of his football career or end up back in pub football with the Dog & Duck.

The Hedge End lad heeded that warning and six months later landed a dream move to the Madejski Stadium - little more than three years after turning out for his local Sunday League side Fountain Inn.

Baird, whose Eastleigh team host a Reading XI in a pre-season friendly tomorrow (3pm), admitted: "As a football manager it does make you proud to see a lad progress after you've put a lot of time, effort and faith in him.

"There were a few close calls with Brett where I felt he was wasting time, but the penny dropped and finally he started to realise the attributes he'd got and gave himself the chance to become a professional footballer.

"Reading are one of the very best clubsaround to develop young players. They've got a really good infrastructure and there are not too many cracks in the paintwork.

"In Brian McDermott, Brett's got a manager with a hell of a lot of faith in him.

"He's had a settling-in period at Reading now and knows what it's all about. I'm sure he and they will be expecting him to have a really good pre-season.

"Kids coming out of non-League have got to look at the likes of (Blackpool's) DJ Campbell and (Manchester United's) Chris Smalling.

"They've had a second chance and grabbed it with both hands."